


Candy Canes and Shakespeare

by everystareverywhere



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: AU, Christmas Story, College, F/M, Secret Santa, Shakespeare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 19:19:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5468033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everystareverywhere/pseuds/everystareverywhere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Imagine your OTP where one is the Fully Functional Adult™ and the other has been living off of coffee and fruit snacks for three days straight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Candy Canes and Shakespeare

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the lovely the-chameleon-art for the dwsecretsanta. I hope you enjoy it!

There was little that Rose Tyler hated. Really, she could probably count the amount of things on one hand. People acting stupid to get a laugh, when the milk has expired and there isn't a new on in the fridge, and ignorant people are really the ones that get her blood boiling. But the one at the very top of the list would be the words "group project." Because doing work for these stupid classes isn't bad enough, now they had to work as a team? Which usually meant that Rose would be pulling most of the work, because that's how it usually goes.

And to make the whole situation even worse is the fact that it's the last project right before Christmas break. So whoever she's teamed up with will probably continuingly flake because they need to do their Christmas shopping, like she doesn't.

Luckily, this was a Shakespeare class, and they could pick any play that he ever wrote. Since _Much Ado About Nothing_ was her favorite, that's the one she was doing, no matter what her group said. She knew that play backwards and forwards, and there was little she wasn't already aware of.

"Now, I will not your partners," Professor Sarah Jane Smith announced. "Instead, you will pick your own partners and write down what play you are talking about." Up until the moment she announced that instead of writing their paper by themselves, they were going to team up, Professor Smith was very well liked by Rose. Now Rose wasn't too sure she was that keen on the woman.

"I want your name, the name of your partner, and what play you'll be doing on my desk before you leave for the day.  Okay, fine someone."

Rose looked around the room. She was a social creature, that was true, but she's been so swamped with the work from her other five classes, not to mention working at Henrik's - which given that it's a clothing store shouldn't sound exhausting, but it actually is - Rose hadn't really gotten to know anyone.

Everyone was teaming up so quickly, she was getting nervous. For a brief second she hoped that maybe everyone would team up and she could be left alone to do her paper. Suddenly the desk in front of her spun around and the boy (man?) sitting there was facing her with a big smile.

"Hi. I'm James. And you are...?"

Stunned, she couldn't do anything but answer, "Rose."

"Nice to meet you, Rose. Now, I must tell you that I absolutely love Shakespeare and if I had to chance, I would meet him in a heartbeat. I bet he was brilliant, you know, absolutely _brilliant_ and had such a way with words! I bet he knew exactly what to say in any situation and that when he greeted his audiences, he blew them away with his words of wisdom."

Rose didn't know quite what to say to this. Sure Shakespeare was probably a hoot to be around, but she never really thought about it. Like many greats from the past, she bet meeting the person would be amazing, but not something that she actually gave the time to think about.

"Er, yeah. Sure."

"So," he crossed his arms, leaning down on the desk. "Wanna work together? I don't have a play in mind, so-"

" _Much Ado About Nothing_ ," Rose insisted before he mentioned another play.

"Yeah, that'll work. Good play, _Much Ado_. Good old Beatrice and Benedict. Gotta love how they get tricked into wanting each other, yeah? It's hysterical, and almost true to life, since their friends had a hand in it. Don't know how I'd feel if something like that happened to me, though."

Rose knew she was a talker, but she was nothing compared to James. She bet he would have a conversation with the wall if he wanted to.

"So, I'm gonna write our names down," Rose interrupted, figuring this guy could go on for a while. She took out her pen and opened her notebook before writing her name clearly at the topic of the page. "Now, what's your last name?"

"Noble. James Noble."

Rose nodded before adding his name under hers and writing the title of their play. She got up and placed it on Professor Smith's desk before going back for her things.

As she was putting on her jacket, James said, "I'll see you tomorrow? In the library?"

"Sure. At three?"

"That should work. See you tomorrow, Rose Tyler."

And before she could ask how he knew her last name (which accord to her later that he probably just saw it when she wrote it down for the professor), he had his coat on, school bag flung over his shoulder, and was out the door.

 

~*~

 

Working with James was unlike anything she had ever gone through before. He was constantly on, moving from one place to another. Rose was determined to find his off switch, because he could not be that jumpy 24/7.

He could never sit for too long at the table (which made her wonder how she never noticed him before in class, since he had to be constantly moving, even if he was just bouncing his feet). He needed to constantly walk around and talk. Good Lord, could that man talk. He spoke about everything; the latest movies, the newest songs, the weather, the project, his Christmas plans, her Christmas plans, what he wanted when he was a child, everything! He continually spoke, like he couldn't take silence, not for one second. It was driving her crazy.

And that didn't even include the food he ate. He had to have ten cavities because this man ate nothing more than candy and sugary products. Rose liked a good donut as much as the next girl, but James had at least one powdery goodness a day. Not to mention the cookie the cashier in the food court  always gives him because he reminds her of her grandson. And the cupcakes, a cake, and just plain sugar that he inhales every day makes Rose sick to her stomach. She feels nauseous and she's just watching him consume these foods. And every time he arrived at their scheduled meeting times, he always, always, _always_ had a candy cane in his mouth.

Finally, after their sixth meeting, and their paper three quarters done, Rose asked, "How can you survive on so much sugar?"

He looked up from his laptop, glasses askew on his nose, a candy cane in his mouth. He pulled out the candy as he asked, "Excuse me?"

Rose asked her question again before adding, "It just seems to me you would get sick to your stomach if you keep eating like that."

He shrugged. "Don't know. Good metabolism I guess."

"Still. Your teeth should be rotten with how much sugar you intake."

"I'll have you know, I have all my teeth, thank you very much, and that are all intact." He even smiled, showing off his pearly whites. "See?" he asked with a cock of his head.

Rose shook her head before looking back at her own laptop. "Still, your parents have to be concerned with how much you need to go to the dentist."

When he didn't say anything, Rose looked up. It was the first time since they officially met that he hadn't said a word after she spoke. He didn't have some witty comeback or words of advice. Instead, he just stared at his screen.

"James? You okay?"

Literally shaking his head, James looked up at her and grinned. "Never better. Now, where were we?"

 

~*~

 

Now he was drinking coffee.

Because the sugar wasn't enough to keep him going for hours, now he needed to add caffeine. He was even more jumpy than he was before, and Rose didn't even think that was possible. By the time they finished their paper, he was flying throughout the room.

The next time she saw him, which was in the cafeteria, she marched over to him and took his coffee cup off the table.

"Hey!" he shouted until he noticed who it was. "Oh, Rose! Hello! What are you doing with my coffee?"

"You need food, James. Not coffee, not fruit snacks, _food_."

He gestured to the meal in front of him. A hamburger with cheese and chilly cheese fries. "And what is this, chopped lived?"

Rose shook her head. "That is not food. That's a heart attack on a bun. You need a home cooked meal. Come by my place tonight."

"Rose, I'm flatter, but I'm more of a third date kind of guy."

She rolled her eyes. "My dorm, tonight, where I will try on a hot plate to cook you a meal that is better than anything you have eaten in the last seventy-two hours, let alone the past two weeks." She paused. "And when I say 'better than anything you have eaten' what I mean is in terms of healthy, not exactly taste."

He smiled. "Since you're making it, I bet it's delicious."

 


End file.
